A Walsall sepsis survivor is urging people to bring themselves up to speed on the signs and symptoms of the life-threatening infection after it left her “at death’s door” in intensive care.
Sallyann Wilkinson was brought into Walsall Manor Hospital in septic shock after contracting urosepsis which is when sepsis originates from a urinary tract infection (UTI). This can happen when an untreated UTI spreads, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream, triggering a medical emergency that can lead to organ damage, failure, or death.
“I’d had back pain and severe sickness and just felt so ill,” Sallyann, 54, explained. “My lips went purple and at one point I went to stay at my mum’s where I just couldn’t seem to get out of bed.
“I also had kidney stones and when I was brought into hospital in June 2022 I ended up in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where I was put on a ventilator – things were so serious that at one point my family were called to come in and say goodbye to me. I was at death’s door.
“After being ventilated for six days I was in hospital for three weeks and looking back now I know I’m lucky to have survived it all. I’d heard of sepsis but had no real idea of how serious it is and it’s because of the care of the team in ICU and the support afterwards that I’m still here to tell my story. I want to share my story to encourage others to know the signs and symptoms and to have a better awareness of sepsis – it’s also my way of saying thank you to everyone at the hospital who cared for me.”
Sallyann is now looking forward to the birth of her latest grandchild and is enjoying building a life with fiancé Colin Osbourn who she met at a support group for patients who spent time in ICU.
“Sepsis was obviously the lowest point in my life but surviving it and meeting Colin, who had COVID-19 and was in hospital for eight months, means my story has a happy ending. Not everyone is as fortunate.”
Xana Marriott, Senior Sister in Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s Sepsis Outreach Response Team (SORT), said urosepsis cases had increased.
“We’re grateful to Sallyann for sharing her story to alert people to the signs and symptoms of sepsis which can sometimes be mistaken for flu or other infections. People also think sepsis is an infection that affects the blood, but it is a medical emergency affecting the whole body and the earlier it is identified and treated the better the chance of survival.”